Mircea Roman is one of the greatest representatives of the contemporary Romanian sculpture. He is the only Romanian artist who received the Great Prize at the Sculpture Triennale in Osaka, the most important prize of this kind from the whole world, in 1992. His characters remind us, somehow, of some fairytale giants that come from three-dimensional Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Andrei Dumitrescu: I noticed that you often use wood as raw material for your sculptures. What does this material represent to you?

Mircea Roman: I started working with wood a long time ago and, when I started doing this, I did it mainly for physical reasons. I wanted it to be not only a light material which I could easily handle in my studio but also to be able to create very large works. As I could not see myself capable of dragging logs, I chose to create my characters piece by piece. I soon realized that this technique was perfect for me and I maintained it, developed it and I am still not bored with it. I believe that wood, as ceramics too, is warmer than marble or bronze. I preferred this kind of materials since I was in high-school. My colleagues were working with aluminum and I was using ceramics. However, when I realized it was better working with wood, even for large works, I remained faithful to my path. I did not try to change anything, maybe only from the interior. Every satisfaction helps you evolve. It is difficult, though. Some succeed, some do not. What is the most important is to be yourself.

A.D.: Some artists are trying to introduce a fourth dimension in their works, not a physical one, but a spiritual or philosophical one. Do you share this vision?

M.R.: This question is a little bit complicated, even though the answer will be the same. Now, making figurative sculpture which is somehow classical, the hidden part of reality still continues to exist. I search for a spiritualized figurative sculpture. Certainly there is this facet of things. Still, in conceptual art (which is fashionable nowadays) this cannot exist, the spiritual part is completely left out.

A.D.: Where would you place the contemporary Romanian art in world’s art?

M.R.: I believe in the diversity of arts. If the Romanian art were better promoted, then it would gain its own well-deserved place in the world’s art. Because in our country artists are not promoted or appreciated as they should be, then it remains hidden, unknown, a niche art. If it were promoted and appreciated at its real value, the Romanian art would occupy the same place as the other European arts, but not only them.

A.D.: What can you tell us about the life of an artist? What does it mean to be an artist and, moreover, how can somebody become an artist?

M.R.: First of all, I think you should want to be one and then to be passionate. If you do not have passion, you cannot succeed, because this is not the easiest path. Drawbacks frequently appear and, if you are not passionate enough, you cannot overcome them. Being passionate you will definitely find recognition somewhere.

A.D: In a society in which art has lost most of its meanings, many times having the tendency to become just a technique, or we are overwhelmed by kitsch, what piece of advice would you give to those who want to follow this path?

M.R: What path? The path to kitsch or to real, genuine art? Yet, if you choose the path of genuine art, you should think free. Everybody has to find his/her own path. I really do not know where one could arrive searching for the right the path. Some may even find conceptual art. I consider that you do not necessarily have to arrive from the beginning there. You need a strict and well-organized studio so as to better understand what is going on around you. I disagree with conceptual art, or, at least, with the way it is understood nowadays. Those who embrace this kind of art want, at all costs, to transmit us an idea, but they forget that these are things that we already know. A well-made portrait is newer than a concept exhibited for the fourth time.

Iulia Zorzoliu: You have told us earlier that one has to find his/her own path. How did you find yours?

M.R.: Ooooh, it was very hard! I graduated the Art High-school and I wanted to choose Painting, but I was not very good at it. Then, my teacher advised me to choose Sculpture. There I was told that I was not good at sculpture either. However he was a good teacher who supported me, taught me and I finally managed to go to the University. But I managed to be accepted at the University after my third attempt which was pretty soon for that period of time when only after seven or eight attempts you could go to the University. I worked hard and I had a professor who understood me. He was not the professor of my year of study, because I used to disagree a lot with that, I had the impression that he was not interested in what I was doing, that was why I chose to talk to another professor which was even better for me. After graduation I was lucky to come to Bucharest. I had many colleagues who were very good at what they were doing. I gradually got used to the life in Bucharest. I used what I had learnt in Faculty, in Cluj, and later I found my own path.

Special thanks to our teachers, Mrs. Sanda Amarandei, the Art teacher, and Mrs. Diana Tivdă, the English teacher, because without their help this interview could not have been possible.

Because the ‘’snows of Kilimanjaro’’ (that is or capital city, Bucharest) kept us prisoners in our own houses at the beginning of this year, everything was delayed, even our visit and work on our artist, the sculptor Mircea Roman.

Thus, in the first week of February, precisely on a sunny Friday afternoon, we paid him a visit at his studio, near the outskirts of Bucharest. When we arrived there, with a group of 10th and 11th graders, our sculptor was working on his latest sculpture and we could witness a genuine artistic moment. He was carving his favourite material, the wood, and was wearing his overalls which were full of paint, resin and glue. Even if he was working when we arrived, he was an incredible host, smiling all the time, very friendly, warm, simple and ready to answer to all the questions our students had prepared for him beforehand. In the first part of our visit he was so kind to show us, explaining if necessary, all his works that were gathered in a large hall. In the second and last part of our visit, we were shown his studio in detail, we took pictures, we talked and two of our students even interviewed him. Our students were very curious about his works and asked him many questions, enriched their knowledge about artistic terms and, at the same time, had a great time at Mircea Roman’s studio. Before leaving, Mr Roman gave us some posters with one of his famous works which he exhibited in London a few years ago and, also, invited us to pay him another visit whenever we feel like doing it and convincing us that we should not give up to our goals and work hard to achieve them and, last but not least, he taught us that you can live beautifully if you feel beautifully.

In the same day of February, so as to regain the time we wasted with the snow, we also paid a visit at the Arts Faculty, the University of Bucharest, where we had the chance to see the Final of the Semester Exhibition of the students from Painting, Graphics and Design classes. Here we were guided in the amazing world of art by a professor who was teaching at Mural Painting. Our group of students were able to ask the ones who exhibited there anything they wanted about what they saw. It was an incredible experience for them and a very productive day because in the following week and even these days they are still influenced by the two visits and this can be clearly seen in their own works from the Art class and the workshops on our sculptor, Mircea Roman.

In the following lines we invite you all to enjoy the interview with the Romanian sculptor, Mircea Roman, and some of the pictures we took during our two visits. Also, you can access both Mircea Roman’s site http://www.mircearoman.com/ to see more of his works and the site of our School, Colegiul Național ‘’Spiru Haret’’, where you can find the article about Mircea Roman in the magazine of our college, Vlăstarul http://www.cnshb.ro/. In the following days we are also going to publish the interview in our other school magazine, in English, The English Offspring.